Page 121 of Inferno

Manning smiled, enjoying the delighted wonder on her face. Wanting to prolong their time together, he blurted, “Wait right here.”

Taylor gave him a puzzled look. “Where are you going?”

“I’m gonna ask my dad for his car keys so my cousin can give you a ride home.”

When he reached the basement, he found his father, Uncle Sterling, Uncle Theo, Mr. Campbell and Mr. Wimbush bantering and laughing raucously as they watched basketball on television.

“Hey, Dad,” Manning said, raising his voice to be heard above the cacophony, “can Mike use your truck so we can take Taylor home?”

Sending a lazy glance in his direction, Dad dug his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Manning.

“Thanks, Dad!”

As Manning raced back up the stairs, he heard Uncle Sterling inquire curiously, “Who’sTaylor?”

Dad chuckled. “My future daughter-in-law, if Prissy has anything to say about it.”

Manning was still grinning as he passed Maya and Zora on his way to the front door. The thirteen-year-old sisters always seemed to be huddled together—giggling, whispering and sharing secrets. They annoyed the hell out of him, but they looked so much like his mother that he sometimes gave them a pass for being such brats.

Sometimes.

As he deliberately shoved his way between them, they stumbled apart and sputtered protestingly, “Manny! Why’d you do that?”

He grinned unrepentantly. “You’re identical twins, not Siamese.”

After trading aggrieved looks with each other, they smirked at him and began chanting tauntingly,“Manny has a girlfriend…Manny has a girlfriend…”

“Damn straight,” he smugly confirmed before heading out the door, where Taylor stood at the porch railing catching snowflakes on her tongue. She turned at Manning’s appearance and smiled when he held up the car keys. He looked forward to the day when he’d be able to take her out on dates alone.

As the others ended their football game and began walking toward the house, Manning tossed the keys to Michael. “We’re taking Taylor home, alright?”

Michael raised a brow, then grinned and wagged his head. “I’m beginning to think y’all only invited me here to be your chauffeur,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

Everyone laughed.

As the younger ones ambled into the house to wash up for dinner, Manning, Michael and Quentin loaded Taylor’s bike into the back of the truck. They had just finished and slammed the rear door when a sugary voice cooed, “Hey, Manning.”

Turning around, he groaned inwardly at the sight of Caitlyn standing there, looking like a snow bunny in a white coat, white leggings and furry white boots. When Michael and Quentin turned to face her, her eyes widened with the unabashed delight of a kid who’d suddenly foundherselfin a candy store.

“Well, well, well,” she purred as Michael and Quentin looked her up and down appreciatively. “What do we have here? More fine gifts from Atlanta?”

As Manning quickly made the introductions, he kept one eye on Taylor inside the truck, hoping and praying that she wouldn’t turn around and see Caitlyn. He remembered all too well what had happened thelasttime Caitlyn intruded upon them.

After shaking hands with Michael and Quentin, Caitlyn looked at Manning and licked her lips, as if she were envisioning a foursome. It wouldn’t have surprised him to know that she got down like that.

“You live around here, beautiful?” Quentin asked her.

“Just down the street, Hazel Eyes,” she purred, her own hazel eyes twinkling invitingly. “You could be there in two minutes.”

“That’s probably about how long it’d take him,” Michael quipped, which made Manning laugh as Quentin scowled at the double meaning.

Dividing an appreciative glance between them, Caitlyn murmured, “If you fellas don’t have any plans—”

“Actually,” Manning interrupted, “we were just heading out.”

“Oh?Where?”

“We’re taking Taylor home.”